The adoption of the 5+3+3+4 educational system in place of the conventional 10+2 system is one of the key elements of the Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020). By eschewing the 10 plus 2 years framework, which is focused on a constrictive method of instruction, the plan aims to establish an inclusive foundation for secondary education. What does the 5+3+3+4 education system under the National Education Policy comprise and how will it impact India’s educational system?
The 5+3+3+4 Education System is what?
There are no additional school years under this new educational framework. The length of time a youngster spends in the educational system is constant. The New Education Policy 2020 5+3+3+4 educational model includes playschools as part of “formal education” and integrates nursery and kindergarten classes with classes 1 and 2. The strategy seeks to obfuscate the distinctions between academic and professional interests as well as extracurricular and curricular activities.
How the 5+3+3+4 Education System Works
Here is a detailed defence for each class and age group.
- Students will spend 5 years in the foundational stage, 3 years in the preparation stage, 3 years in the middle stage, and 4 years in the secondary stage, according to the New Education Policy 2020 5+3+3+4 education system.
- Based on the stages of cognitive development that a kid goes through in early childhood, school, and secondary school, the phases are differentiated.
The many phases of the new and improved New Education Policy 2020 5+3+3+4 educational system are broken down as follows-
Foundational Stage for 5 Years
- Students in this stage range in age from 3 to 8.
- This stage includes Preschool, Anganwadi, Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3.
- NEP 2020 states that two years of primary school (classes 1 and 2) would be followed by three years of preschool or Anganwadi education.
- Language development and play-based or activity-based learning modalities will be prioritized throughout this phase.
The Three-Year Preparatory Stage
- Children between the ages of 8 and 11 are included in this period.
- Classes from third through fifth grade are offered in this stage.
- This stage includes play, discovery, activity-based, interactive learning, and a child’s cognitive growth. Math and language skills are still prioritized.
- Children will learn three languages, with the state having the power to decide which three.
- Up until the fifth grade, the regional language will be the main medium of instruction.
Three-Year Middle Stage
- Students between the ages of 11 and 14 are included in this level.
- The sixth through eighth-grade classes are included in this level.
- A flexible approach to education is used in place of the previous educational model.
- The NEP 2020’s 5+3+3+4 framework specifies that this school instruction level will strongly emphasize critical learning objectives in contrast to the rote learning methods that have traditionally been used in our educational system.
The foundations of physics, social science, math, the arts, and humanities will be taught to children.
Four-year secondary stage
- Students between the ages of 14 and 18 are included in this level.
- Classes in this grade span from ninth to twelfth.
- The policy does away with classifying students into distinct streams, enabling them to participate in a pool with students from different academic areas (multi-stream system).
- A student can stop the long-standing rivalry between the two academic fields by selecting History with Physics and Accountancy.
- Again, at this level, there is a big emphasis on critical thinking and mental agility.
5+3+3+4 Education System Benefits
- A 360-degree progress report card will be used to evaluate students’ basic learning in grades 3,5, and 8 by the revised assessment plan.
- Board exams will be made easier under the New Education Policy 2020 5+3+3+4 framework to more accurately assess students’ core competencies.
- Through the enrollment of children between the ages of 3 and 6 in formal education, the new program emphasizes the importance of growth.
- Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is vital in determining a child’s future, according to academics and practitioners alike. The integration of pre-primary within the NEP 2020 5+3+3+4 structure is thus possibly its proudest accomplishment.
- Stronger career counselling services are necessary to help pupils make the best options possible because the new school system integrates multidisciplinary education and topic choices in the middle school years.
- Early selection of preferred courses may place the onus of making a professional choice on parents or teachers, who are frequently ill-equipped to do so.
